The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien is the second installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This trilogy is a fantasy, taking place after The Fellowship of the Ring. The book emphasizes the Good and Evil in people, and how those characters deal with certain conflicts. The Two Towers takes place right after the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, where the Fellowship is split apart. The Fellowship is on a quest to destroy an evil ring, and destroy evil from the world. However, their travels are not very easy, as at the end of the previous instalment, the Fellowship has split up. One part of the Fellowship, consisting of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. They are attempting to rescue Merry and Pippin, as well as get the nations of the west to fight Sauron. Sauron is the antagonist of the trilogy, trying to find the evil ring, which will make him too powerful to stop. On the other side of the Fellowship, is just Frodo and Sam, who decided to get the deed done with, and are going straight to where they need to destroy the ring. The problem with destroying the ring is that it’s right in the middle of Sauron’s territory, Mordor, and Sauron is actively looking for the ring. The story starts with Merry and Pippin being taken away by Orcs. The Orcs get into a fight, which allows Merry and Pippin to escape to a forest, Then we are led to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli (or the Three Hunters), who are trying to find Merry and Pippin. There are perspective changes in the first part between the Three Hunters and Merry and Pippin, which leads certain stories to be difficult to track. However, in the Three Hunters search, they find their resurrected friend, Gandalf. Gandalf had died in the previous book, however was brought back to life. Gandalf helps the Three Hunters prepare Rohan, a western nation, to war. Before they can take the war to Sauron, they have to attack Saruman, who has semi-allied himself with Sauron. They fight in the Battle of Helm’s Deep, and then march to Isengard, Saruman's home. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin make friends with the trees that they had escaped into. These talking trees are called Ents, who are shepherds of the trees. They are outraged by Saruman cutting down the trees of the forest, so with Merry and Pippin’s help, they take to fight to Saruman. Since Saruman is undefended, because of his battle at Helm’s Deep, they are easily able to overpower Saruman. Gandalf, Theoden, the king of Rohan, and the Three Hunters, arrive at Isengard. They meet Merry and Pippin and confront Saruman. In the second half of The Two Towers, Frodo and Sam are trying to get into Mordor. They find Gollum, an evil creature who once used the ring, and use him as their guide to Mordor. Frodo is more sympathetic to Gollum, while Sam believes he will be their downfall. They make it to the Black Gates of Mordor, however it’s too well defended, so Gollum suggests they should go through Cirith Ungol. Cirith Ungol is a path under the mountains to get to Mordor. Unfortunately, it’s a trap, where Frodo is paralyzed to a spider named Shelob, and Sam is forced to decide what to do. Sam manages to defend Frodo from Shelob and Gollum, however mistakenly assumes Frodo is dead. He overhears Orcs, and the Orcs take Frodo to their stronghold, where Sam has to retrieve him. The story ends on a cliffhanger, where it is uncertain whether Sam will be able to save Frodo, all by himself. The book is extremely detailed and mysterious, as we learn more about the world of Middle Earth. J.R.R Tolkien throughout the story, builds the clear struggles between good and bad, and how those conflicts don’t necessarily have to be between giant armies, but between each person. For example, Saruman was supposed to be the leader of the Wizards, with their goal to destroy Sauron. However, while there was good in Saruman, he let his envy and jealousy of Gandalf take him over, and make him desire power. His desire for power made him ally with Sauron, as he saw Sauron as an asset to his rise to power. Another example is Faramir, who Frodo met on his way to Cirith Ungol. Faramir is Boromir's brother, and is very virtuous, so much so that even though his father asks for the ring, he denies taking the ring from Frodo. Faramir suffered conflict in taking the ring or not, however he kept his morals and did not take the ring. The ideas that J.R.R Tolkien illustrates are ideas that should stick around with everyone; that you should try to be virtuous. In another trilogy, Harry Potter, the main character struggles to always be virtuous, as he is faced with torment and conflicts. However, he is able to keep his morals, and continue to fight Voldemort. Both stories try to emphasize the importance of morals and choices, which is a valuable lesson. The Two Towers was an amazing story, filled with action, cliff hangers, and incredible detailing.
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